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Hamill Foundation

Annual Giving
$13.3M
Grant Range
$10K - $0.8M

Hamill Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $13,262,000 (2023)
  • Number of Grants: 85 awards (2023)
  • Median Grant: $150,000
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $750,000
  • Total Assets: $205,000,000
  • Geographic Focus: Houston, TX metro area
  • Application Process: Invitation only/no public application

Contact Details

Address: 14701 Saint Marys Ln Ste 290, Houston, TX 77079-2923

Phone: 281-556-9581

Website: hammillfoundation.org

EIN: 23-7028238

Overview

The Hamill Foundation was established in 1969 by Houston oilman Claud B. Hamill and his wife Marie G. Hamill, dedicated to the betterment of the city they loved. With total assets of $205 million, the foundation distributed $13.2 million to more than 85 Houston organizations in 2023. The foundation makes grants in four broadly defined areas: educational, scientific, charitable, and religious activities, primarily in the Houston area. The Hamills' innovative philanthropic model involved liquidating all business and personal assets to permanently fund their charitable work, ensuring their legacy would continue indefinitely. The foundation is a private foundation that gives only to 501(c)(3) organizations, carefully selecting recipients based on their programs and capitalizing on each organization's expertise in their specialized field.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Hamill Foundation does not operate formal grant programs with specific names or application cycles. Instead, they maintain ongoing relationships with approximately 85 organizations across their priority areas. Grant amounts range from $10,000 to $750,000, with a median award of $150,000.

Priority Areas

Education:

  • Pre-K through 8th grade schools serving families in extreme poverty
  • Inner-city pre-school campuses
  • University scholarship programs (including geoscience and allied health majors)
  • Academic success centers
  • Faith-based educational institutions

Health & Medical:

  • Prostate cancer research
  • Stroke education and treatment centers
  • Nursing excellence programs
  • Neurodegenerative disease research
  • Dementia care facilities
  • Maternal and newborn health facilities
  • Neurological research institutes
  • Transplant programs
  • Women's health clinics
  • Bereavement intervention

Scientific:

  • Medical research institutes
  • Geoscience education and research

Charitable:

  • Children and youth services
  • Human services organizations
  • Camps serving special populations
  • Emergency response vehicles (American Red Cross)
  • Museums and cultural institutions

Religious:

  • Christian agencies and churches
  • Faith-based educational institutions

The foundation shows particular interest in capital campaigns for facility development, with grants director Tom Brown noting: "It's really about what those buildings will make possible for the patients and families served."

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.

Governance and Leadership

Current Board of Directors:

  • Tom Brown - Grants Director
  • Bill Miller - Director
  • Charlie Read - Director
  • Charlie Snider - Director
  • Barbara Strobel - Director

The foundation was originally structured by Claud Hamill to include his company's four senior officers—Charles D. McMurrey, Charlie H. Read, Thomas H. Brown, and Charles W. Snider—along with his attorney, William T. Miller, as directors.

Philosophy from Leadership:

Tom Brown, the grants director, articulated the foundation's approach: "We rarely make one-time grants; instead, we work to create and cultivate ongoing relationships with the groups we support."

On their focus on capital projects, Brown explained: "It's really about what those buildings will make possible for the patients and families served."

The foundation demonstrates deep commitment through regular engagement, with leadership meeting with each supported organization at least annually—a significant undertaking given their portfolio of 85 organizations.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Hamill Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. All grants are made at the discretion of the board of directors to organizations with which they have established relationships.

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation identifies grant recipients through its board members' deep connections within the Houston nonprofit community. The five directors have longstanding relationships in Houston's philanthropic sector, having been selected by founder Claud Hamill for their expertise and community involvement.

Organizations currently in the foundation's portfolio receive annual meetings with foundation leadership, indicating that once a relationship is established, the foundation maintains active engagement. However, there is no documented process for new organizations to initiate contact or request consideration for funding.

The foundation's model prioritizes "ongoing relationships" over one-time grants, suggesting that any new partnerships would require significant relationship development over time through the foundation's existing network connections.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly available. Given the foundation's preference for ongoing relationships and annual meetings with supported organizations, funding decisions appear to be made on a discretionary basis throughout the year rather than following a fixed calendar.

Application Success Factors

Since the Hamill Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, the traditional concept of "application success factors" does not apply. However, analyzing their documented grant-making patterns reveals what the foundation values:

Capital Projects Over Operating Support: The foundation shows strong preference for capital campaigns that will create lasting infrastructure. As grants director Tom Brown stated, their focus is "about what those buildings will make possible for the patients and families served." Recent examples include:

  • $750,000 to Houston Zoo for the Galapagos Islands Exhibit capital campaign
  • $500,000 to Camp for All for a second campus
  • $450,000 to Small Steps Nurturing Center for capital campaign to add classrooms
  • $3,000,000 to Amazing Place for a second location in Katy

Long-Term Partnership Approach: Brown explicitly stated: "We rarely make one-time grants; instead, we work to create and cultivate ongoing relationships." Organizations should be prepared for multi-year engagement rather than single transactions.

Houston Focus: The foundation is "dedicated to the betterment of the city its founders, Claud B. and Marie G. Hamill, loved so much." All documented grants serve the Houston metro area.

Demonstrated Expertise: The foundation "carefully selects donees based on their programs and capitalizing on each donee's expertise in their specialized field." Organizations must show clear specialization and excellence in their focus area.

Alignment with Four Core Areas: All grants fall within educational, scientific, charitable, or religious activities. The foundation does not fund outside these broadly defined but clearly bounded categories.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process exists - the foundation only funds preselected organizations through board discretion and established relationships
  • Capital projects are strongly preferred - the foundation focuses on "what those buildings will make possible" rather than operating support alone
  • Houston-only geographic focus - all documented grants serve the Houston metropolitan area
  • Long-term partnerships over one-time grants - expect multi-year engagement with annual meetings if a relationship is established
  • Substantial grant sizes available - with a median grant of $150,000 and awards up to $750,000, the foundation makes significant investments in organizations it supports
  • Four funding categories - educational, scientific, charitable, and religious activities define the scope of all grant-making
  • Board relationships are key - the five directors, with deep Houston nonprofit connections, personally select all recipients and meet annually with each supported organization

References

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